Unconditional Love
by bandgeek18
Summary: Rangers Together, Samurai Forver means standing by each other. But it also means the samurai will always be friends. And friends will do anything for you. No matter what the cost, they'll do what it takes to help. One-shot.


Disclaimer: I don't own the power rangers.

_*Italic indicates thought_

A/N: Hello! So this popped into my head and I was bed ridden thanks to a a sprained ankle, so here's a one-shot for ya. enjoy!

Antonio ran into the Shiba House and just barely remembered to apply the breaks before he ran into Ji. "Well?!"

Ji simply looked at the gold ranger sadly and shook his head. "It didn't work."

"What? What'd you mean it didn't work? It always works. Defeating the nighlock always works!"

"Not this time," Ji explained calmly. He could see how much this was upsetting Antonio. Said gold ranger was starting to pace.

"What're we going to do?"

"I don't know."

Antonio went to the infirmary room and looked in the door. He saw all his friends laying weakly in their beds. _That stupid Nighlock!_ He rested his head against the door frame. A nighlock called Reverser had tricked the rangers into using the quintuple slasH. He'd then turned the energy back on them, and now their symbol power was trying to kill them. Antonio and Ji had thought that defeating the nighlock would help them. He wandered into the room and sat by Jayden's bed. "Ahola Amiogs."

"Hey," Mike answered. He grimaced in pain and moved around a bit. "You're alive."

"Yup."

"Did you defeat the nighlock?" Jayden asked as Ji came in as well.

"Yeah."

Everyone was quiet for a minute as reality reared it's ugly head. The nighlock was gone, but they were still dying.

"You did everything you could," Mia told Antonio gently.

Mike nodded. "At least there'll be one samurai to take on the nighlocks."

"Two," Mia corrected him. "Terry."

"Oh. Right."

Antonio started shaking his head. "No. No, you guys are going to be ok. I'll find a way. I'll...I'll.."

Jaydne could tell his friend was falling apart. He grimaced and reached out to grasp Antonio's finger weakly with his own. "We'll be ok. You did good. You can defeat one nighlock without us, you can do them all."

"We know you'll keep fighting," Kevin said. He felt another wave of pain travel through his body. "You'll be ok."

"Stop! You guys will be ok too. I'll save you guys." He looked at Ji. "Isn't there anything else we can do?"

Ji sighed. "The only thing I can think of is to try and reverse the...uh...reversed symbol power."

"How?" Antonio asked getting to his feet. "Just tell me how and I'll do it."

Ji was a little concerned about Antonio's adamant loyalty. "If you use your symbol power to-"

"No," Jayden interrupted. "No."

"At least let me finish," Ji said. He looked at Antonio. "If you use your symbol power to try and shut down their symbol power, then use the power chip in your morpher to re-power their samuraizers, we could reverse the situation completely.

Antonio thought about it. He nodded. "That could work."

"That sonds dangerous," Mike objected.

Jayden nodded. "It's too risky. It could use too much symbols power. He could be destroyed."

"My only other option is to let you guys die," Antonio said looking around at them. "I can't do that."

"What if it doesn't work?" Mia asked. "Antonio you need to be there to carry on our mission."

"It will though. What Ji's talking about can work. I cut off your symbol power completely, then use my power chip and-" Antonio stopped. He was starting to realize the fundamentals of what he was going to do.

"What?" Mike asked, seeing the look on Antonio's face.

"Nothing. It's just-," Antonio stopped. If he told them the whole truth about what he had to do, they'd never let him do it. On the other hand, they weren't really in any position to stop him. "In order to use one power chip for five morphers, I have to break it into five parts."

"And?"

Antonio sighed. "The power chip is the part of your morher that allows it work. It takes the energy from the morphing grid and sends it to the converters-"

"Can you explain without all the nerd stuff?" Kevin asked.

"Anyways, they're nearly impossible to make. Once I take mine out, and go through with this plan, the pieces will fuse with your morhers. Mine will no longer be functional. They'll also use all the power from my morpher."

The other were quiet while they thought about that.

"So, if you do this you won't be able to use your morpher?" Kevin asked.

"You could just fix it though, right?" Emily asked.

Antonio shook his head sadly. "No. I'd have to rebuild it from scratch. That would take me years."

"So, if you do this, you won't be a ranger anymore?" Mike asked.

Antonio nodded. Jayden sat up as much as he could and shook his head. "No. We won't let you."

"You're not exactly in a position to stop me," Antonio reminded his best friend. The situation was weighing heavily on his mind. He pretended to play with his hair so he could brush a tear away.

"But Antonio, you've worked so hard for this," Mia said. "It's everything you've dressed of your whole life."

"I know," Antonio nodded, his voice cracking a little.

"You can't," Emily told him. "Antonio you love being a ranger."

Antonio nodded, starting to cry. "I know." He looked around the room with red rimmed eyes. "But I love you guys even more." He wiped his eyes. "No matter what it takes I'll save you. I promise." He looked at Ji. "Get their samuraizers. Let's do this."

Ji nodded as Antonio left the room. He went to each ranger to get their morphers. He went to Mike first, who held onto his stubbornly. "Mike."

"No. Please don't let him do this."

"There's no other way. This will work."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Ji still took the morher from him easily and moved onto Emily. The yellow ranger shook her head. "Not you too."

"Ji he can't give up being a ranger just for us."

"I'm sorry." Ji took her smauraizer from her weak grip. "But we have to. Five samurai protecting the world is better than one."

"But this is Antonio's dream," Mia protested as Ji came to her. "It's the only thing he's wanted his whole life."

"I know," Ji aknowledged sadly. He took the pink ranger's morper and moved onto Kevin.

"Ji, Antonio is our friend. We can't let him do this."

"I know he's your friend," Ji said. He took Kevin's morpher. "However, he's too loyal to let any of you die or leave the world without proper protection." He moved onto Jayden, who gave him a pitiful look.

"Please Ji," Jayden begged. "Please don't let him do this. Please."

"I'm sorry Jayden," Ji said taking the red ranger's morpher. "This is the right thing." He went to the door and looked back at the weakening samurai watching him like he'd betrayed them. "I'm truly sorry," he said. "But Antonio is right. This is what we have to do." He shut the door and went to find the gold ranger.

The others meanwhile, lay in their beds in absolute misery. And it wasn't because of their pain and weakening bodies. Antonio was about to give up on something he'd worked his whole life to accomplish. Jayden stared at the ceiling sadly. _How can I live with myself knowing Antonio gave up his dream because of me? _Little did he know, the others were thinking the exact same thing.

-Unconditional Love-

Antonio sat outside, crying quietly. He'd tired to act like this was no big deal. Like he would follow through with his plan unfazed. But he just couldn't. He'd always believed he was destined to be a ranger. He'd wanted it more than anything. All the hours he spent training; buliding his morpher; praying that he would be accepted. Now it all seemed futile. Sure he'd become a samurai, but now he had to give it up.

"But I have to," he reminded himself. He and no qualms about actually doing it. He loved his friends more than anything, and he'd do whatever it took to save them. But it didn't make giving up his ranger powers any easier. "Well, maybe it does a little," he admitted. He heard someone approaching and quickly dried his eyes. He stood up and turned around. "Did you get them?"

"Yes," Ji nodded. He could tell the gold ranger had been crying. "Antonio, if this is too hard for you we can find another-"

"There's no other way," Antonio said. "I know it. You know it. They know it. The zords probably know it. Even if there's another way how long will to take us to find it? To impliment it? Hm? Days? Weeks? They have hours at most. I have to do this." He looked down then took a deep breath and looked back at Ji. "It's the only way. I won't let them die. I won't. They're mìs amigos. I would do anything for them."

"I know you would," Ji said. He looked at Antonio with pride. "The rangers are lucky to have a friend like you."

"No. I'm lucky to have friends like them. And friends do things for each other."

"Antonio, this is a big sacrifice."

"I know. I know. Let's get this over with. We're running out of time." Ji nodded and put the rangers' samuraizers on the bench in a row. He a stepped back as Antonio took out his morpher. Antonio flipped it open and began pressing symbols. A line of golden symbols traveled from his morpher to the first samuraizer. He kept up the stream up symbols until he saw the yellow Earth symbol float above the samuraizer then shatter. he stopped and nodded. "The first one is done."

"Four to go," Ji said nervously. He watched as Antonio moved onto the next one. Slowly. But surely, the gold ranger worried his way down the line of morphers, shutting off the symbol power in each one.

When he finished Antonio took his own morpher and took the back off. He reached in gently and too out a square chip with gold lining in the circuits. He took it in his hands and broke it into five pieces. As he did, he felt like his heart was breaking into even smaller pieces. He went to each smauraizers and opened them, then put a piece of the chip in each one. He took his own and set it to reactivate the symbol power. He felt the energy and power rushing through it and a light suddenly flashed and he dropped his morpher in shock. "Ah!"

"Antonio!" Ji said, running to his aid. He helped the gold ranger to his feet and they watched as the five samuraizer floated in the air with a gold light around them. Symbols corresponding with each of the rangers' colors floated out of the samuraizers and formed the correct symbol above them. The samuraizers then dropped back onto the bench.

Antonio and Ji looked at each other then approached the bench carefully. Ji looked at one of the samuraizers, picking it up cautiously. "I think it worked." Antonio could only nod as he picked up the burnt husk that used to be his morpher. Ji looked back and and sighed sadly. "I'm sorry Antonio."

Antonio nodded. He looked at Ji. "We should give the samuraizers back to them." Ji nodded and the two of them started collecting the samuraizers.

-Unconditional Love-

Jayden woke up and looked around. He sat up and closed his hand. "I feel so strong." He looked around as the others started to come to as well.

Mike smiled as he sat up and moved around. "Alright. I can move without being in pain."

"I feel like I could run a marathon," Mia smiled.

Ji came in and smiled. "You're all ok. Good. Who do you feel?"

"Great," Emily said.

Jayden saw his samuraizer on the table between him and Mike and stopped smiling. He remembered everything that had happened earlier. "How long has it been?"

"A few hours."

"Where's Antonio?"

"Gone."

"Gone?" Emily asked. "What'd you mean gone?"

"He left. He said because he's not a ranger anymore, he didn't see any reason for him to be here."

"What?" Mike asked. "He's just giving up? Just like that?"

"You heard him. It will take him years to rebuild his morpher. It's not realistic for him to be on the team."

"I don't care," Jyden said throwing his blankets off. "We have to catch him before he leaves town."

"Where would he be?" Kevin asked as the others followed Jayden's lead.

"The docks," Jayden answered. "Come on. Let's hurry."

-Unconditional Love-

Antonio leaned on the railing at the docks. He didn't know where he would go now, but he figured he could just start walking and see where he ended up. He rubbed his eyes sadly. He'd left his zords at the Shiba House._ "They have the black box," he explained to his zords. "They can use you guys. They need you guys. Ok?"_ The Octorzord had attempt to follow him, so Antonio had snuck out after asking Ji to hold him. He sighed. "Just me now. All by my lonesome. Again." He sighed once more. "I thought I'd never be alone again. Just a pipe dream. Well, another pipe dream I should say. I'll always be alone."

Jayden and the others ran to the docks, looking around for Antonio. "There he is!" Emily smiled pointing.

"Antonio!" Mike shouted. Antonio stood up and looked towards them.

"What're you guys doing here?" he asked.

"We could ask you the same thing," Mike answered. "Where the heck do you think you're going?"

"Uh I don't really-"

"Why would you leave?" Jayden asked him. "Do you not like us anymore?"

"What- no. Why?"

"Then why are you leaving?" Mia asked.

"Because I'm not a ranger anymore. My morpher-"

"Antonio, being a ranger is about more than just a morpher," Emily said.

"She's right," Kevin nodded. "Rangers together, samurai forever. It's more than just a saying. Samurai have to look out for each other. Always. Or did you forget that?"

"Guys-"

"Don't guys us," Emily warned him. "Antonio you're our friend."

Jayden reached out and grabbed Antonio's bag out of his hands. "Hey!" Antonio objected.

"Antonio, you're not the only one who loves unconditionally. We don't care if you're a ranger or not. You're still our friend. The Shiba Hosue is your home. We will never let you go off alone."

"What use am I if I don't have a morpher?"

"What if our zords break?" Mike asked.

Kevin nodded. "Exactly. Or our samuraizers? Or the black box?"

Antonio smiled. "You guys really want me to stay, don't you?"

"Of course we do!" Emily said. "Antonio, we would never want you to leave."

"We'll help you fix your morpher," Jayden said. "We don't really know anything about that stuff, but if the six of us work together, I'm sure we can do it."

"Basically, you're not going anywhere," Mike said. "So give up now."

Antonio smiled. "You guys are crazy."

"We know," Jayden smiled. "Now let's go back. Your zords are dying without you. Especially Octo."

Antonio grinned. "He's going to be livid."

"Good things he's just a zord," Miek commented.

"Don't tell him that."

Jayden put his arm around his gold ranger. "Let's go home."

Antonio nodded. "Yeah. Let's go home."


End file.
